My Favourites: Yarn Bombing

No, I’m not going to write about the best way to pitch skeins at your spouse… although doing photographs for that particular post would be a really entertaining way to spend an afternoon… but I digress. Yarn bombing is for crafters what flash mobs are for dancers and singers; a great way to create public havoc and make the world a more colourful and interesting place.

The concept is as appalling to some kinds of crafters as altered books. When people hear that I tear out pages and cover up passages of text and leave books basically unreadable, they are horrified. Some people, when told that yarn bombers spend weeks, months, sometimes even years working on textile projects that they then sew into public institutions, where they are subject to rain, animals, people who vandalize things and more, they can’t imagine the reasons. They just need a little more whimsy in their hearts. Sometimes, it’s all about the moment. Everything we do, everything we make is only temporary anyway. We’ll leave it all behind one day. Why not do something amazing in the mean time?

You might be wondering who thought this up. Would it surprise you to learn it was the owner of a needlework shop? Yeah, probably not. Magda Sayeg began by yarnbombing the door handles of her shop and moved on to larger projects in the greater Houston area. The idea caught on fast, and has since been appearing across the globe.

Without further ado, some of my favourite yarn bombing incidents from around the world:

Light and Lacy

Some of the prettiest installations, in my opinion, involve using light, lacework crochet and knitting in places where they are not only unexpected and incongruous, but manage to create a touch of elegance in everyday life.

Would you – or have you – ever been party to a yarnbombing? Let me know in the comments section below, especially if you are local and planning some guerrilla art of your own that I might participate in!